Bake Off their heads
Paul throws a rowdy bunfight to celebrate final This year’s Bake Off sure has been a boozy affair – and we’re not talking about their liquor-drenched cakes.
As we get ready to see who is crowned Star Baker, Talk TV lifts the lid on the sugar-induced shenanigans off-screen and the secrets behind the show.
Laura Adlington , 31 – who takes on Peter Sawkins , 20, and Dave Friday , 30, in the final – tells how they passed the time with drunken games and karaoke.
“Some nights we played Heads Up and got drunk,” says Laura, referring to the charades-style mobile app.
Laura reveals that she even battled Bake Off host Matt Lucas in a sing-off.
She says: “We sang Master of the House from Les Mis once and it was honestly one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
After Channel 4 bosses were forced to move the series due to Covid issues, dozens of tents were set up at the Down Hall Hotel in Essex to house the crew, equipment and 12 kitchens for contestants to practice.
That prompted Judge Paul Hollywood to liken it to a festival – and he threw a celebratory drinks party for this year’s finalists at a Glastonbury-style bash.
Prue Leith, 80, reveals hard-faced Paul, 54, invited the contestants over for drinks after filming on the final finished.
She says: “Paul invited the finalists to come and join us and it was just so nice to be relaxed and having a drink with them instead of them being all scared of us and anxious…”
Meanwhile, new boy Matt, 46, admits the drama of the occasion got to him. He says: “I went to my room and sat on my own for two hours after the final because I was overcome with emotion. I was really happy for the person that won. I was sad also because there can only be one winner.
“I empathised with the people that didn’t win, I had to take myself out of it.”
The show’s ingredients guru, Faenia Moore, shared some of the secrets behind the show this year – revealing they had to order 200kg of butter and 250kg bags each of flour and sugar.
Faenia admits: “I was nervous we wouldn’t be able to get a delivery of flour during filming, so I planned ahead. We needed extra for the bakers to practise – thankfully they always had enough.” This year’s contestants were obsessed with mangoes and passion fruit. She says: “I bought about 100 of each. Freeze-dried raspberry powder was big for this year’s bakers – and a lot of honey.”
Watch the final on C4, Tuesday, 8pm. A Christmas special has also been filmed